Fiber optic sensors are increasingly being used as devices for sensing quantities such as temperature, mechanical strain, displacements, vibrations, pressure, acceleration, rotations, or chemical concentrations. In fiber optic sensors, light is sent through an optical fiber and the returning backscattered light is analyzed. Changes in the parameters of the returning light, as compared to the input light signal baseline, may be measured and tracked.
By phase differencing the reflected signal with a reference signal, minute changes can be detected; these relate directly to the event that is causing the laser signals to be reflected. As one example, acoustic pressure waves in the vicinity of a fiber cable will impart micro strains on the fiber. These micro strains are proportional to the acoustic pressure waves, essentially imparting the frequency of the acoustic pressure wave into the back reflected signal; this is generally referred to as a modulating a signal. Phase differencing the reflected signal allows the signal to be demodulated and the acoustic pressure wave reconstructed. This technology essentially turns a fiber optic cable into a microphone over a full range of a fiber optic installation; events are now based on time of flight of an event.
Advancements in computing technology, in particular the evolution of real-time computing systems, has now allowed these fiber optic sensors to operate as real-time distributed acoustic sensor networks capable of observing, reporting, and processing various real-world phenomena in a time-sensitive manner. Additionally, the growth of the internet has led to a generally rapid growth of various internet based sensors on various networks; these various networks are used in numerous applications, including military, industrial, and civilian applications and generally adapted to detect or monitor certain events or conditions.
A sensor may be simple, such as a device that monitors temperature, or more complex, such as a video camera. Data generated at the sensor is transmitted in data packets over a sensor network to one or more application nodes. An application node includes one or more application software instantiations that can react to the sensor data, and may include a user interface that presents the sensor data in at least one of numerical, textual, and graphical forms to users.
Sensors have been used for industrial applications and commercial applications in the past; more recently, sensors have been used for homeland security and public safety applications. Sensors are transitioning from federated (stand-alone) implementations to dynamic packet-based systems connected by networks over shared infrastructure including wired and wireless communication networks. Examples of applications for fiber optic DAS sensor networks include acoustic detection in support of surveillance, environmental monitoring, etc. Buried fiber optic DAS systems are suitable for harsh environments and wide geographical areas where unattended operation of sensors is desirable.
The ability to manage these new sensor networks has become increasingly difficult as a function of the volume deployed increases. Today, centralized application nodes communicate directly to sensor gateways, these sensor gateways typically do not maintain a local list of it sensors. Instead, each application maintains a statically defined list of sensors with which the application can communicate. Home security systems operate this way, and typically use a dial up modem, the dial up modem speaks to a sensor gateway operating at a call center. Generally, the ability of an application in the call center to interact with other sensors is limited without knowledge of their physical addresses or the associated network access devices. Moreover, the introduction of new sensors to the network typically requires a manual reconfiguration to permit the application to communicate with such sensors.
What is needed is a means to scale, manage, access, and track sensors of various types that are geographically distributed and connected to a network through various network access mechanisms. The present invention satisfies this need and provides additional advantages. In a DAS system, the data derived from events are unique to the time of flight resulting in a range determination, signal classification, time of detection, interrogation unit used, etc. This data is reasonably unique to other data obtained from similar systems. Today, the ecosystem of the internet is dynamic and rapidly changing, where cloud based architectures are becoming more appealing and attainable at manageable costs.
The place to start re-thinking addressing is at the source of data, where the data source is in an abstracted mode and operates as a server. The systems and methods described in this patent are well suited to support a system of virtual sensors that implement a dynamic data driven addressing scheme that generates unique addresses based on the data detected.
So as to reduce the complexity and length of the Detailed Specification, and to fully establish the state of the art in certain areas of technology, Applicant(s) herein expressly incorporate(s) by reference all of the following materials identified in each numbered paragraph below. The incorporated materials are not necessarily “prior art” and Applicant(s) expressly reserve(s) the right to swear behind any of the incorporated materials.
Noise Management for Optical Time Delay Interferometry, Ser. No. 14/837,592 filed Aug. 27, 2015, with a priority date of Aug. 28, 2014, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Real-Time Fiber Optic Interferometry Controller, Ser. No. 14/837,609 filed Aug. 27, 2015, with a priority date of Aug. 28, 2014, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Applicant(s) believe(s) that the material incorporated above is “non-essential” in accordance with 37 CFR 1.57, because it is referred to for purposes of indicating the background of the invention or illustrating the state of the art. However, if the Examiner believes that any of the above-incorporated material constitutes “essential material” within the meaning of 37 CFR 1.57(c)(1)-(3), applicant(s) will amend the specification to expressly recite the essential material that is incorporated by reference as allowed by the applicable rules.
Although the best understanding of the present invention will be had from a through reading of the specification and claims presented below, this summary is provided in order to acquaint the reader with some of the new and useful features of the present invention. Of course, this summary is not intended to be a complete litany of all of the features of the present invention, nor is it intended in any way to limit the breadth of the claims, which are presented at the end of the detailed description of this application.
Other features of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows. Aspects and applications of the invention presented here are described below in the drawings and detailed description of the invention. Unless specifically noted, it is intended that the words and phrases in the specification and the claims be given their plain, ordinary, and accustomed meaning to those of ordinary skill in the applicable arts. The inventors are fully aware that they can be their own lexicographers if desired. The inventors expressly elect, as their own lexicographers, to use only the plain and ordinary meaning of terms in the specification and claims unless they clearly state otherwise and then further, expressly set forth the “special” definition of that term and explain how it differs from the plain and ordinary meaning. Absent such clear statements of intent to apply a “special” definition, it is the inventors' intent and desire that the simple, plain and ordinary meaning to the terms be applied to the interpretation of the specification and claims.
The inventors are also aware of the normal precepts of English grammar. Thus, if a noun, term, or phrase is intended to be further characterized, specified, or narrowed in some way, then such noun, term, or phrase will expressly include additional adjectives, descriptive terms, or other modifiers in accordance with the normal precepts of English grammar. Absent the use of such adjectives, descriptive terms, or modifiers, it is the intent that such nouns, terms, or phrases be given their plain, and ordinary English meaning to those skilled in the applicable arts as set forth above.
Further, the inventors are fully informed of the standards and application of the special provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, ¶6. Thus, the use of the words “function,” “means” or “step” in the Detailed Description or Description of the Drawings or claims is not intended to somehow indicate a desire to invoke the special provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, ¶6, to define the invention. To the contrary, if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, ¶6 are sought to be invoked to define the inventions, the claims will specifically and expressly state the exact phrases “means for” or “step for, and will also recite the word “function” (i.e., will state “means for performing the function of [insert function]”), without also reciting in such phrases any structure, material or act in support of the function. Thus, even when the claims recite a “means for performing the function of . . . ” or “step for performing the function of . . . ”, if the claims also recite any structure, material or acts in support of that means or step, or that perform the recited function, then it is the clear intention of the inventors not to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, ¶6. Moreover, even if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, ¶6 are invoked to define the claimed inventions, it is intended that the inventions not be limited only to the specific structure, material or acts that are described in the preferred embodiments, but in addition, include any and all structures, materials or acts that perform the claimed function as described in alternative embodiments or forms of the invention, or that are well known present or later-developed, equivalent structures, material or acts for performing the claimed function.